


Motherland, Cradle Me

by Janieohio



Series: Quidditch League Oneshots [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:26:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25319035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janieohio/pseuds/Janieohio
Summary: Sometimes, even the strongest of us need someone to be there when we're struggling. For Ginny, that someone has always been Luna.
Relationships: Luna Lovegood & Ginny Weasley
Series: Quidditch League Oneshots [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691950
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Motherland, Cradle Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the eighth round of the Quidditch League competition. To set the tone and flavour of the story, I encourage you to listen to [Natalie Merchant's song _Motherland_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2JbLUVt0Z0&list=RDIEfNFrMBkBo&index=1). It's a favourite of mine, and while writing the story, I felt the need to listen to it on repeat. The song is about that craving we all have sometimes for the world or life we took for granted and lost, and finding comfort in the memories. The title and opening quote come directly from the song. I hope you enjoy the story.

_It's your happiness I want most of all, and for that, I'd do anything at all...  
_— _Natalie Merchant, Motherland_

Ginny Weasley sat on the bench in the wooded area just east of the house at the Burrow. It was still on her family's land, but it was an area the family rarely frequented and where she was usually sure to get some privacy. She stared off into the trees, trying not to think of the morning she'd had. If she stopped to consider, she'd break, and she didn't know if she'd be able to pull herself back together.

Morning, ha! The morning was just the culmination of the last year—the last three years, really—of horror and worry and grief. This morning was just the pinnacle. The cherry on top of the shit-heap. And afterwards, everyone just went home to the Burrow. They gathered, and they talked, and they wept. But she couldn't stay there. She was being suffocated.

 _Circe,_ she thought, pushing down the panic she felt rising. _He's gone. He's really gone._

And she needed to be strong. If she showed what she was feeling, she'd see the guilt creep into Harry's eyes. Those green orbs that were barely alive these days anyway, and she worried if she'd ever see them regain their spark. The only time he seemed to show any life was when they were together—when she sat and held him and let him weep in her arms, mourning for all he'd lost and all he'd done.

She was grateful she could be there for him; she would do anything to help him heal, and she found it was strengthening her understanding of him. He told her about things he'd never spoken about before: his childhood, Sirius, Remus, the past year on the run. And he asked her about things she didn't want to talk about but did anyway: the diary, being on the outside of his friendship with Ron and Hermione, her last year at Hogwarts.

But she couldn't talk about this, about Fred.

As she thought his name, a sob finally escaped her lips and she choked on it.

"Ginny?" a quiet voice called gently from beyond the trees.

Ginny wiped her eyes, suddenly aware of their dampness, and took a deep breath. "I'm here," she called back, trying not to be annoyed at the intrusion.

Luna Lovegood stepped out of the trees, her long blonde hair shining in the sun, but her clothes, for once, a muted blueish-grey. She'd been at the burial as well. She'd been at all the burials, just like Ginny and Harry and her family had been. "Ginny?" Luna asked again, now only several steps away, her voice this time similar to one she'd use with a frightened animal. She sat down on the ground in front of Ginny and turned to meet her eyes, Luna's sky-blue gaze sad and full of concern.

Ginny put her hand out to her friend, her oldest friend, and held on as the tears finally escaped. She simply slipped to the ground next to Luna, dropped her head into her friend's lap, and let go. Luna sat quietly, not saying a word, simply running her hand through Ginny's hair, soothing.

Ginny had no idea how long she lay like that, only that her soul felt as though it were heaving a part of itself onto the lush grass around her. Luna was anchoring her, though, offering comfort in the way only she could. It was utter and complete acceptance and understanding. Ginny never had to explain herself to Luna; if Luna didn't understand what she was feeling, she did understand the need for an embrace.

As her sobs lightened to quiet hiccups, Luna spoke.

"When my mother passed, I hurt so much I thought I'd die. I didn't know how I could ever recover and find anything resembling normal again."

Ginny gave a little nod, sighing slightly as Luna's light fingers caressed her temples. "I remember. When did you find normal again?"

Luna snorted, and Ginny's eyes flew open and she turned her head up to look at her friend. It was such a foreign sound to come from the usually ethereal girl. Luna was looking into the nearby bushes, seeing something that Ginny couldn't. "Ginny," she said with a smile, "I haven't been normal since."

Ginny's answering snort of laughter mimicked Luna's, and she choked on the tears still remaining in her throat. "You're normal," she finally got out as she sat up. "You're just normal for _you_."

Luna gave her a gentle smile. "Look into the shrubbery there for a moment." Ginny watched her point towards the bush she'd been watching and looked in that direction.

"What am I looking for?"

"Your answer."

Ginny sighed. She really hated it when Luna spoke in riddles, but she was too tired to argue. Instead, she decided to sit quietly and watch the bush, letting her mind wander. Images of Fred filled her mind; teaching her to play games; hinting at how to break into the broom shed; getting her to be an accomplice for a prank on Percy; diverting her mother's attention when she needed a break; treating her like nothing happened after the Chamber—like she was still _her_ and normal; threatening Harry when he learned of their relationship; holding her hand in support when the news was scarce during Harry, Ron, and Hermione's time on the run.

The memories hurt, and she wanted to push them away, to forget until she could heal.

"That's it, Ginny. Keep it up," Luna's gentle voice murmured.

Ginny began to tremble, and she shook her head. "I can't."

"Sure you can. Think about Fred, and _Look_."

Something moved in the bushes, and Ginny gasped as she focused in on a small creature approaching her slowly. Several others followed tentatively behind. They were about the size of a kitten but resembled some kind of primate with overly large eyes. As they approached, Ginny noticed that her memories of her brother continued to flash through her mind, but instead of despair, they began to give her an intensely warm feeling in her stomach and chest.

The tears continued to fall, but the accompanying sorrow was lightened and she felt flashes of joy push through the grief. The creatures began to make little noises, small pops and twitters, and a smile grew on her lips.

Luna whispered next to her, "They're dabberblimps. Aren't they beautiful?"

Ginny stayed very still, mesmerised as the adorable creatures crept towards her, and stunned as her feelings bordered on elation. Memories of Fred laughing and joking cut through everything else, and she laughed.

The creatures' noises grew in intensity, and Ginny looked around to see they had attracted nearly half a dozen of the small animals.

"What do dabberblimps do?" Ginny asked quietly. "And why do I suddenly feel so much better?"

Luna took her hand and squeezed. "They're creatures of grief and love. Daddy says they're probably empathic, but I think it's something more. I've seen them ever since Mummy died. If I sit outside when I'm remembering her and feel sad, they nearly always come and help me feel happy at the memories."

Ginny nodded slowly. "I've never heard of them."

Luna shrugged. "They're like nargles; you usually can't see them if your mind is closed off." She took Ginny's hand and squeezed it. "Fred could see them, you know. He asked me about them last year."

"They're wonderful," Ginny said with a sigh. Her heart felt lighter than it had since the battle, and she wiped the tears from her cheeks. They were still falling, but they didn't hurt nearly so badly. She could still identify the worry for her family and Harry, and uncertainty of what would happen next, but the grief itself was lightened. "Luna…" She hesitated.

"I know." Luna gave a little nod. "Me, too."

"You're my best friend. I don't know what I'd have done without you all these years."

Luna offered a smile that transformed her entire face, and Ginny realised how beautiful her friend really was, both inside and out.

"Stay beside me, Luna. For just a little longer?"

Luna nodded, and Ginny leant her head onto Luna's shoulder, accepting the comfort offered. They watched the dabberblimps slowly wander off, and Ginny smiled, thinking of Fred, her heart sad, but no longer in pain. It was time to go back to the house. She was ready.

* * *

_The End_

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts used for Competition:  
> Theme: Luna and Ginny friendship  
> Prompts: (relationship) childhood friends, (location) the Burrow, (emotion) worry


End file.
